Jacob j



(No Model.) J. J. UNBEHEND.

SPRING CLASP.

' [AG-VI;

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' ArnN'r JACOB UN BEHEND, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JUDSON L. THOMSON, OF SAME PLACE.

SPRlNG-CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,390, dated March 3, 1885.

Application filed January 3, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J A0013 J. UNBEHEND, of Syracuse, in' the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and 5 useful Improvements in Spring Clasps, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of spring- IO clasps in which a plate attached to one of the fiaps of ashoe or other article has hinged thereon a tongue adapted to interlockwith another plate attached to the other flap and provided with slots, through one of which the tongue I 5 passes; and the invention has more particular reference to such of the aforesaid clasps which utilize the lateral flexibility of the tongue-carrying plate for imparting to the tongue the requisite spring action for retaining it interlocked with the slotted plate.

The object of the invention is to simplify and cheapen the manufacture of such clasps, and at the same time render them more durable and efficient in their operation; and to that end my 2 invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the tongue and its carrying-plate, as hereinafter fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure Iis a side 0 View of my improved clasp, with the interlocked slotted plate shown by dotted lines. Fig. II is a plan view; Fig. III, a front end View of the same; Fig. IV,a detached plan View of the tonguecarrying plate with the tongue 5 removed. Fig. Vis a top plan viewof myimproved clasp, illustrating modifications of the details thereof; and Fig. VI is a detached plan view of the tongue in its modified form.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

B represents the usual slotted plate, with which the tongue T interlocks in the use of the clasp. A denotes the plate on which the said tongue is hinged. This plate I form of a sin- 4 5 gle thickness and with a transversely-divided pintle, a, and with the forward extensions, 0 e. The severing of the aforesaid pintle a allows the extensions 6 e to deflect laterally from a point back of the pintle, and thus increases the 5b elasticity thereof. The tongue T, I form with I (No model.)

a sleeve, 8, which embraces the pintle a, and thus hinges the tongue on the plate A. In front of the pintle I form the tongue with a forwardly and upwardly curved portion,b,and with lateral projections o c on the edges of 5 said portion 1). In swinging the tongue back and forth on its hinge the portion b of the tongue moves up and down between the extensions e e of the plate A, and in said movement the projections c c impinge the inner 6o edges of the extensions 6 e and crowd said extensions apart, thereby producing a limited locking action, which tends to retain the tongue in its closed and in its extreme open position.

In large-sized clasps,which have to be made of heavy plates, I split longitudinally or bifurcate the hinged end of the tongue, as shown in Figs. V and VI of the drawings, and spread the same apart, so as to causeit, when hinged on the plate A, to exert a lateral pressure against the inner edges of the extension 6 e and yield to the inward pressure incident to the impingement of the projections 00 against the aforesaid extension 6 6 when swinging the tongue back and forth on its hinge.

I am aware that prior to my present invention the tongue ,T has been hinged on a pin held between the two leaves ofa doubled plate, and said plate had end extensions, between which a broadened portion of the tongue passed in opening and closing of the clasp; but suchaconstruction and combination of parts rendered the manufacturing of the clasp expensive; also, did not afford to the pintle the requisite secure hold on the doubled plate; also, necessirated the placing of the pintle too great a distance from the free end of the plate in order to form back of the elastic end extensions the eye for the reception of the pintle; and, furthermore, it did not afford to the end extensions the requisite flexibility to yield to the impingement of the lateral projections on the edges of the tongue when swinging the same back and forth on the hingeall of which defects are obviated by my improvements.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1s 1. The plate A, formed with the divided pintle a and with the forward extensions, 6 e, in

combination with the tongue T, formed with e the sleeve .9, embracing the pintle, and with In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto signed the forwardly and upwardly curved-portion!) my name and affixed my seal, in the presence and lateral projectionsc 0, adapted toimpinge of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the I 5 the inner edges of the extensions 6 e, substancounty of Onondaga, in the State of New York,

5 tially as described and shown. this 26th day of December, 1884.

2. In combination with the plate A,provided with the extensions 6 e, the tongue '1, hinged JACOB J. UNBEHEND. [L. 8.]

between said extensions and bifurcated longitudinally, and formed with the forwardly and Witnesses:

:o .upwardlycurved portion b, and with the pro- 0. H. DUELL, jections c c on the edges of said curved por- G. BENDIXON. tion, substantially as described and shown. 

